Saskatchewan health minister says ban on tanning beds for youth not part of plan

CP

REGINA - Saskatchewan's health minister says there is no plan to ban minors from using tanning beds even as another province makes the move.

Dustin Duncan says Saskatchewan will instead focus on raising awareness about the risks of exposure.

Duncan says he wants to be careful about limiting services to people.

The Ontario government was to introduce a bill Thursday that would ban tanning services to people under 18 to protect them from skin cancer.

Nova Scotia and Quebec already have similar laws, while Manitoba requires written parental consent.

Last year, the Canadian Cancer Society in Saskatchewan urged the province to ban the use of indoor tanning beds for minors.

The World Health Organization has said ultraviolet radiation from indoor tanning equipment increases the risk of melanoma by 75 per cent for anyone using the beds before age 35. Melanoma is the most serious skin cancer.